When I introduced myself 10 months ago I intended to be full-timing by next month. Boy was that wishful thinking! I had no idea how much work it is to get ready. And how hard it is to get it all done solo.
I bought a new (to me) RV in April and it is going to be just the right amount of space. It had two couches and no dinette. I have removed one couch already and plan to remove the second. 3 kitchen cabinets (ordered but not yet here) will replace the one couch and a craft/sewing area will replace the second. The driver's seat turns around and is very comfortable for watching TV. A blow up mattress will work for overnight guests so don't really need the couches. I painted the bedroom and bathroom to get rid of the unattractive wall coverings. Still need to paint the main living area and replace all the hard to keep clean carpet.
I had two big yard sales this summer and every day I find more things that I wish I had put in the sales. At this point everything else is being donated or placed on the curb. I packed clothes for donation the last two days. Someone on the forum suggested a spreadsheet to value everything you donate as backup for taxes. I used the Goodwill values chart I found on-line and positively agree that this was an excellent idea. This week I packed up 42 suits, 12 blazers, 72 pants/skirts and 86 blouses/sweaters that were all clothes from my corporate life and I would never wear again. I would never have guessed that I had so many or what value to claim if I had not tallied them on the spreadsheet as I packed them.
I have been working on the house getting it ready for sale. Tiled two bathrooms, tiled the kitchen, replaced kitchen cabinets, replaced bathroom cabinets, painted, painted, painted. Everything but my bed and the living room goes into storage today and then the hardwood floors can be refinished. Then my bed can be moved into one of the smaller bedrooms so the master & adjoining den can be painted and freshly carpeted. Then I think I will finally be ready to list the house. Unfortunately I missed my target of listing by June big time!
It is getting closer every day and if I don't make the Class of 2014 at least I will be in the Class of 2015!
GENECOP said
10:24 AM Sep 4, 2014
Thanks for the update, good to hear you are still on track, keep at it.......
kb0zke said
10:56 AM Sep 4, 2014
Don't worry about how long it takes to get going. In fact, most people seem to think that it takes about a year to get rid of stuff, get the coach just right, etc. We got our coach about 1.5 years ago, did a little bit to it, took a couple of trips, and made our list of what we thought we might want to do. We're just now seriously working on the decorator part. We replaced the refrigerator because the old one was dead. We scheduled an auction for April of this year, and spent three months frantically sorting stuff. Even then a few things sold that we should have kept, and there are things we kept that we've now decided we don't need.
We are now to the point where we could be gone from the house and on the road in a couple of hours. Yes, we still have some things that we probably will get rid of eventually as we really get used to the full-time lifestyle.
Keep going and you will probably beat us onto the road.
2riker2go said
11:18 AM Sep 4, 2014
When we started getting ready, we had about three years left before my husband could retire. We made a list of everything that we needed to do, big and small, and just started plugging away at it. I think people thought we were crazy because we still had over two years left and we were bringing furniture sets to the kids and emptying out closets. The last few months before we put the house up for sale we were pretty much living in an empty house. We were sure happy we had done that when we got the offer though. Our last two months were pretty easy since we had already done all the hard work of cleaning out. :)
It sounds like you have already packed a lot into ten months! Keep going at that pace and I'm sure you'll be on the road soon! :)
PIEERE said
11:18 AM Sep 4, 2014
Cindi: You are getting there; remember the Turtle always wins the race against the Hare!
The Restless Youngs said
11:25 AM Sep 4, 2014
Thanks for the update!! Been wondering.....and glad to see progress continues!! It's not easy, but rewarding when it's done!!
Camper Chronicles said
12:33 PM Sep 6, 2014
Hey Cindi,
Thanks for checking in. That's a ton of work for one person...we've had trouble getting it all done with two. Good luck on the house sale and hang in there...we are rooting for you!!!
Cindi said
03:57 PM Sep 7, 2014
I was becoming so discouraged with my slow progress and then I got all these "pep talks". It means a lot!! Thanks
cherylbrv said
04:25 PM Sep 7, 2014
I always thought my progress was very slow. That's why I've been keeping a blog since day 1 -- mostly for myself so I can look back and see how far I've reallycome! Time seems to go so slowly while we're experiencing it, but then you turn around and it's amazing how fast it's really gone by!
When I introduced myself 10 months ago I intended to be full-timing by next month. Boy was that wishful thinking! I had no idea how much work it is to get ready. And how hard it is to get it all done solo.
I bought a new (to me) RV in April and it is going to be just the right amount of space. It had two couches and no dinette. I have removed one couch already and plan to remove the second. 3 kitchen cabinets (ordered but not yet here) will replace the one couch and a craft/sewing area will replace the second. The driver's seat turns around and is very comfortable for watching TV. A blow up mattress will work for overnight guests so don't really need the couches. I painted the bedroom and bathroom to get rid of the unattractive wall coverings. Still need to paint the main living area and replace all the hard to keep clean carpet.
I had two big yard sales this summer and every day I find more things that I wish I had put in the sales. At this point everything else is being donated or placed on the curb. I packed clothes for donation the last two days. Someone on the forum suggested a spreadsheet to value everything you donate as backup for taxes. I used the Goodwill values chart I found on-line and positively agree that this was an excellent idea. This week I packed up 42 suits, 12 blazers, 72 pants/skirts and 86 blouses/sweaters that were all clothes from my corporate life and I would never wear again. I would never have guessed that I had so many or what value to claim if I had not tallied them on the spreadsheet as I packed them.
I have been working on the house getting it ready for sale. Tiled two bathrooms, tiled the kitchen, replaced kitchen cabinets, replaced bathroom cabinets, painted, painted, painted. Everything but my bed and the living room goes into storage today and then the hardwood floors can be refinished. Then my bed can be moved into one of the smaller bedrooms so the master & adjoining den can be painted and freshly carpeted. Then I think I will finally be ready to list the house. Unfortunately I missed my target of listing by June big time!
It is getting closer every day and if I don't make the Class of 2014 at least I will be in the Class of 2015!
We are now to the point where we could be gone from the house and on the road in a couple of hours. Yes, we still have some things that we probably will get rid of eventually as we really get used to the full-time lifestyle.
Keep going and you will probably beat us onto the road.
It sounds like you have already packed a lot into ten months! Keep going at that pace and I'm sure you'll be on the road soon! :)
Thanks for checking in. That's a ton of work for one person...we've had trouble getting it all done with two. Good luck on the house sale and hang in there...we are rooting for you!!!
I always thought my progress was very slow. That's why I've been keeping a blog since day 1 -- mostly for myself so I can look back and see how far I've really come! Time seems to go so slowly while we're experiencing it, but then you turn around and it's amazing how fast it's really gone by!